Julie Droller, principal of Hindley School since the summer of 2019, has been appointed by the Board of Education to the new position of director of elementary education for Darien Public Schools, the district announced Friday.
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Hindley School Principal Julie Droller has been appointed the district’s director of elementary education.
Droller was appointed in a unanimous vote by the board when it met Thursday night. She will continue as principal of Hindley through the school year, then take to the new new job on July 1.
She was director of elementary education in Westport Public Schools from 2014 to 2018. Droller was interim principal at Hindley for a year, starting in August 2018, before she was named principal.
“In Westport, Ms. Droller implemented a balanced literacy approach at the elementary level and a new social emotional curriculum, Ruler,” for students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, the announcement said.
Schools Superintendent Alan Addley praised Droller for her “extensive experiences and expertise as a school and district administrator” and her “ability to support the curriculum, teaching and learning.”
In the district’s news release, Droller said, “The opportunity to work collaboratively with an exceptional group of educators, engage with parents and the community, and support student growth as we bring our new Strategic Plan to life, is exciting and energizing.”
Droller was hired after “a comprehensive search and interview process that included parents, teachers, and administrators,” the announcement said.
She began her career in education at Scotland School in Ridgefield, where she was an elementary school teacher for first and third grade.
Droller first came to Darien in 2004 and spent two years in the district as a K-5 language arts specialist before moving back to Ridgefield to serve as the principal of Veteran’s Park Elementary School.
In 2011, Ms. Droller became principal of Saugatuck Elementary School for three years, then was appointed as director of elementary education.
According to the news release:
“During her most recent time here in Darien, she has served as an articulate and passionate advocate for the addition of a second psychologist in each of our elementary schools, has helped spearhead the implementation of Ruler, which will begin in earnest during the 2021-2022 school year, and has been instrumental in assisting with the implementation of the district’s various modes of instruction during the COVID pandemic.”